City Council
Report
City Council Meeting: June 25, 2024
Agenda Item: 16.D
1 of 1
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Nikima Newsome, Interim City Clerk, City Clerk 16 Items Subject: Request of Councilmembers Zwick and Torosis that, upon the expansion of Santa Monica’s Preserving Our Diversity (POD) program, the City Manager take steps to address historic underrepresentation of Pico Neighborhood residents in the program relative to the community’s percentage of residents over 65 experiencing poverty. Specifically, this should include:
1. Enhancing the Housing and Human Service Department’s outreach plan through partnerships with local faith- based and community-serving organizations including but not limited to Familias Latinas Unidas, St. Anne’s, Calvary Baptist, The Venice Family Clinic on Pico, the Pico Neighborhood Association, and the senior programming and food pantry at Virginia Avenue Park.
2. Offering direct technical assistance with filling out the POD program application at Virginia Avenue Park.
3. Assessing the Jan 1, 2000 habitation requirement as well as other eligibility criteria, with the authority to make the program more flexible and expansive.
4. Give preference to applications from census tracts designated as “disadvantaged” by the state under SB 535 Disadvantaged Communities, subject to any limitations imposed by state and federal fair housing laws, in consultation with the City Attorney’s Office.
5. Authorizing up to 5% of newly designated program resources to be spent on enhanced outreach and technical assistance in the Pico Neighborhood, if necessary.
Prepared By: Maria Dacanay, Acting Assistant City Clerk Approved Forwarded to Council
Attachments:
A. Written Comments